There are educational opportunities for youth and adults at the VIMS Marine Science Day. Photo by Laura Patrick/VIMS.
VIMS Marine Science Day
The 22nd annual open house at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) will be held on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at the Gloucester Point, VA campus. VIMS Marine Science Day is a fun-filled event for the whole family. For one day a year, nearly every corner of the campus is open to the public to speak to VIMS scientists and students while getting a behind-the-scenes look at the important research and advisory services VIMS provides. The event will include children’s activities, seining in the York River, lab tours, demonstrations and much more. The Middle Peninsula Master Naturalists will be greeting visitors at the Teaching Marsh and Pollinator Garden. This event is free and takes place rain or shine. Food and beverages will be available for purchase on site. Advance registration is encouraged. Visit the web site for more details and a link to register. https://www.vims.edu/public/msd/
The 22nd annual open house at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) will be held on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at the Gloucester Point, VA campus. VIMS Marine Science Day is a fun-filled event for the whole family. For one day a year, nearly every corner of the campus is open to the public to speak to VIMS scientists and students while getting a behind-the-scenes look at the important research and advisory services VIMS provides. The event will include children’s activities, seining in the York River, lab tours, demonstrations and much more. The Middle Peninsula Master Naturalists will be greeting visitors at the Teaching Marsh and Pollinator Garden. This event is free and takes place rain or shine. Food and beverages will be available for purchase on site. Advance registration is encouraged. Visit the web site for more details and a link to register. https://www.vims.edu/public/msd/
Riverine Master Naturalists and Plant RVA Natives Garden Center Liaisons, Evelyn Waring and Ginny Stone, tabling at the Great Big Greenhouse in Richmond on April 11. Ginny and Evelyn share the guide to Native Plants of Virginia’s Capital Region, answer questions, and encourage visitors to pledge to plant RVA natives. Photo by Sharon Lamberton.
Garden Center Liaison Project: A Great Mix of Partners, Providers, Consumers and Natives Plants Seeding in New Social Norm
Submitted by Virginia Witmer, Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program/DEQ, and Sharon Lamberton, Riverine Master Naturalist
It was fortuitous for Riverine Master Naturalists Evelyn Waring and Ginny Stone to be tabling by the Native Plants area at The Great Big Greenhouse and Nursery in Richmond on a recent and beautiful spring Thursday!
Not only were the sky blue and customers eager to find the right plants, but it was also Weather in the Garden Day with the WWBT 12 On Your Side. The news crew filmed near the Plant RVA Natives display where Evelyn and Ginny were sharing information with customers.
Not missing their opportunity, the pair sent the crew away with Plant Natives for Pollinators pledge decals.
Evelyn and Ginny are part of a growing team of Master Naturalists who volunteer as Garden Center Liaisons. They were onsite at the invitation of the nursery to connect with gardeners about the beautiful and beneficial plants native to the Capital Region.
"It was wonderful to share information about native plants with the customers at The Great Big Greenhouse,” said Ginny.
“We enjoyed fielding questions. The friendly customers, helpful staff, and good weather all made for a great event."
The expanding interest in native plants and landscaping in Virginia brings a logical question for consumers: “Where can we find the plants?”
The regional campaigns of the Plant Virginia Natives Initiative are ready with an answer. Each campaign reaches out to the retail garden centers and commercial nurseries in their area to develop a point-of-sale partnership with these providers – not only to promote the native plants they already sell, but to encourage centers to increase the variety and quantity of regionally native species they offer, helping to meet the growing demand.
Participating centers are listed on PlantVirginiaNatives.org. The benefits of participation is twofold: more natives are planted by Virginia residents, and centers see an increase in sales. Now, in the Richmond area, centers also can benefit from the Garden Center Liaison program piloted by the Riverine Master Naturalist Chapter. This program facilitates ongoing communications between the center and the Plant RVA Natives campaign. As Ginny and Evelyn can attest, knowledgeable volunteers have the opportunity to connect directly with gardeners when they are making decisions about what to bring home and plant.
The pilot program launched this spring and campaign partners are excited to already have six retail locations participating. Following the pilot, the plan is to seed this program within the other regional campaigns and involve more Master Naturalists chapters across the state.
Questions about the Garden Center Liaison project and the transferrable materials being refined through the pilot can be directed to:
Sharon Lamberton
Plant RVA Natives Point-of-Sale Team
Riverine Master Naturalist Garden Center Liaison Project Lead
Virginia Witmer, coordinator of the Plant Virginia Natives Initiative and Outreach Coordinator for the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Submitted by Virginia Witmer, Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program/DEQ, and Sharon Lamberton, Riverine Master Naturalist
It was fortuitous for Riverine Master Naturalists Evelyn Waring and Ginny Stone to be tabling by the Native Plants area at The Great Big Greenhouse and Nursery in Richmond on a recent and beautiful spring Thursday!
Not only were the sky blue and customers eager to find the right plants, but it was also Weather in the Garden Day with the WWBT 12 On Your Side. The news crew filmed near the Plant RVA Natives display where Evelyn and Ginny were sharing information with customers.
Not missing their opportunity, the pair sent the crew away with Plant Natives for Pollinators pledge decals.
Evelyn and Ginny are part of a growing team of Master Naturalists who volunteer as Garden Center Liaisons. They were onsite at the invitation of the nursery to connect with gardeners about the beautiful and beneficial plants native to the Capital Region.
"It was wonderful to share information about native plants with the customers at The Great Big Greenhouse,” said Ginny.
“We enjoyed fielding questions. The friendly customers, helpful staff, and good weather all made for a great event."
The expanding interest in native plants and landscaping in Virginia brings a logical question for consumers: “Where can we find the plants?”
The regional campaigns of the Plant Virginia Natives Initiative are ready with an answer. Each campaign reaches out to the retail garden centers and commercial nurseries in their area to develop a point-of-sale partnership with these providers – not only to promote the native plants they already sell, but to encourage centers to increase the variety and quantity of regionally native species they offer, helping to meet the growing demand.
Participating centers are listed on PlantVirginiaNatives.org. The benefits of participation is twofold: more natives are planted by Virginia residents, and centers see an increase in sales. Now, in the Richmond area, centers also can benefit from the Garden Center Liaison program piloted by the Riverine Master Naturalist Chapter. This program facilitates ongoing communications between the center and the Plant RVA Natives campaign. As Ginny and Evelyn can attest, knowledgeable volunteers have the opportunity to connect directly with gardeners when they are making decisions about what to bring home and plant.
The pilot program launched this spring and campaign partners are excited to already have six retail locations participating. Following the pilot, the plan is to seed this program within the other regional campaigns and involve more Master Naturalists chapters across the state.
Questions about the Garden Center Liaison project and the transferrable materials being refined through the pilot can be directed to:
Sharon Lamberton
Plant RVA Natives Point-of-Sale Team
Riverine Master Naturalist Garden Center Liaison Project Lead
Virginia Witmer, coordinator of the Plant Virginia Natives Initiative and Outreach Coordinator for the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
DEQ Educational Webinar Series
Want to learn more about the work of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality? The agency is holding a series of free educational webinars designed to inform the public about DEQ programs and resources. Topics include water quality monitoring, air quality monitoring, DEQ 101, DEQ electronic resources and tools, and pollution prevention. The next webinar is Tuesday, July 2, 6:30-8:00 pm and will cover the basics of air quality laws and regulations, outdoor air quality standards, and air quality monitoring.
Want to learn more about the work of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality? The agency is holding a series of free educational webinars designed to inform the public about DEQ programs and resources. Topics include water quality monitoring, air quality monitoring, DEQ 101, DEQ electronic resources and tools, and pollution prevention. The next webinar is Tuesday, July 2, 6:30-8:00 pm and will cover the basics of air quality laws and regulations, outdoor air quality standards, and air quality monitoring.
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